What happens when a whole bunch of sexy vegan girls get together? A whole lot of laughs and tasty fun,” said Bob Banner of the HopeDance organization when reading a description of one of the films he chose to present in his short films festival.
HopeDance will host its annual short film festival from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the San Luis Obispo City/County Library.
Banner said that this festival allows him to show the public how much creativity is out there.
“There are a lot more filmmakers than ever because of not only the technology, but because mainstream is so boring,” he said. “I just want to show people what’s possible and what’s out there.”
Dr. Peter Huber, who shows HopeDance films at a venue in Templeton, said the festival shows “films that get us to think. They inspire and help us to improve society and the community more. . (They) explore what’s next for all.”
Banner said that it was hard for him to decide which films to show because of the amount of material he had accumulated recently.
“There’s so many that I want to show, but I’m not going to go over two hours,” he said.
The films will range in length from about three minutes to around 20 minutes.
How Banner gets the films is quite simple, he said. “If I find the films online, I talk to the filmmakers and say, ‘Hey, you know, can we use this?'”
The assortment of films includes “The Laughing Club of India,” which Banner said is hilarious due to the fact that “just by having that (laughing) as an exercise people start to do it and it affects their lives.”
Another film that Banner was eager to talk about was “The Story of Stuff.”
“It’s such a good film and is so important,” he said.
The reason for the importance placed on the animated film, Banner said, is that the film is about “a crucial thing about why we are killing ourselves.”
Those interested can also see some of the short films online at HopeDance.org by clicking on the link marked “shorts.”
When asked if the festival was appropriate for all ages, Banner said children would probably fall asleep.
“Last time we did a short film festival, some people brought their kids in. They weren’t warned and got upset with me.” Banner said, “They thought that short film festival implied animation, fun and cutesy stuff, and that wasn’t my understanding at all.”
Huber said he hopes the audience will walk away with a more open mind after viewing the films.
“I hope it will get them to talk to one another and explore what we as a whole want the world to be,” he said.
Banner agreed that he wanted to really get a reaction out of audiences.
“I want them to be inspired. I want them to get angry. I want them to be disturbed. I want them to feel love in their hearts,” he said. “I hope it inspires them to get off their butts, so they’re not just being entertained, and to do something with their lives.”
Banner said society as a whole is at a critical juncture at this moment.
“If everybody did what they are supposed to be doing on this planet, I think we could really pull it off.” Banner said, “For so long we haven’t even believed in a sense of continuity. We believe that when we die that’s it so of course we’re going to fuck up the planet – who cares? It’s like a garbage heap for us and our enjoyment, and that’s a big one, that’s got to change.”
Banner said he has been showing films at the San Luis Obispo City/County Library, located at 995 Palm St., for the past seven years and will begin in May to show short films on campus once a week as well.